Re: Tarka and Lochan meet a wolf [quote author=JulieT link=topic=9752.msg141154#msg141154 date=1422890026] [quote author=Lochan link=topic=9752.msg141139#msg141139 date=1422886010] It is an odd thing. Breeders have their stock hip scored and they are rarely 0-0, so they seem to have some hereditary problems like their normal canine counterparts. [/quote] Huh. Interesting. I wouldn't have thought that. Still, I suppose problems can arise in a short time if the gene pool is limited. I know nothing about wolf hybrids. Wonder if hip problems occur in wild wolf populations.... [/quote] Wild animals have the full range of normalities and abnormalities. No reason why they'd have perfect hips. They just really need hips that'll get them to reproductive age in a healthy enough state. Humans are effectively wild animals (ie no other species has consciously shaped our evolution for its own ends) and I'd expect that only a minority would have 0:0 hips
Re: Tarka and Lochan meet a wolf There are people around here that have wolf hybrids, I think it's some kind of status thing. There's a fellow who comes to the dog park with a beautiful husky/wolf cross, although he's not entirely sure of that as she was a rescue and was just told by previous owners that is what she is. She is very small for a husky or a wolf, though, so it's hard to say. She was very wary of the other dogs for quite awhile and now will play, although I do think her play is quite aggressive. Who knows. Personally I would never trust a true wolfX, I don't know why why one would want one. One fellow I spoke to at the dog park said he had one, but had to keep it chained up outside because it was very aggressive and he couldn't trust it, eventually he destroyed it. Ugh, don't get the point.... :-\
Re: Tarka and Lochan meet a wolf Wolf dogs and wolf hybrids fascinate me. When I was in college I had write an essay about them, I can't remember what for now. To keep one in the UK it has to be three generations or more from the original wolf parent, otherwise it's still classed a wild animal which would require a license to keep one. They crossed them with things like huskies to try and maintain the wolf look. Apparently they are not very trainable as they are still too 'wild' and independent. I think they require a really dedicated and experienced owner to have one because they can be really strong willed - no surprise if some of them are still so close to the original wolf parent, which is probably why a lot of people have issues with them because they are not aware of what exactly they are taking on.
Re: Tarka and Lochan meet a wolf [quote author=Penny+Me link=topic=9752.msg142427#msg142427 date=1423395331] I think they require a really dedicated and experienced owner to have one because they can be really strong willed - no surprise if some of them are still so close to the original wolf parent, which is probably why a lot of people have issues with them because they are not aware of what exactly they are taking on. [/quote] Exactly. Unfortunately most people don't think it through too well. At least in my opinion! Many people have a hard time managing a "regular" dog, when it's all said and done, after all....
Re: Tarka and Lochan meet a wolf Yep. Humans have put thousands of years of effort into producing the people-friendly and trainable dogs we have today. Why waste all that accumulated effort by going back to the beginning....
Re: Tarka and Lochan meet a wolf In Australia we have never had wolves but we do have Dingoes, which are the product of human intervention (they are descended from wolves) even though they are living in the wild. Dingoes have been here for about 4000 years. You can get a licence to keep a Dingo. They can be tamed fairly successfully if the process is started as puppies, as they are basically dogs. The local zoo has two that they walk on lead round the zoo, and visitors can pat them perfectly safely. They are beautiful. Much smaller than wolves. A guy in my street used to have two as pets. They would howl each night - actually a lovely sound. They had to have fences that were enormously high, as they can climb very well, and also the fences had to be dug a long way into the ground as Dingoes are also expert diggers (they make dens). They are not like a normal dog to keep. Think I'll stick with Labradors.....
Re: Tarka and Lochan meet a wolf Interesting, Rachel!! I didn't know dingoes were a man-made species...thought they were like our coyotes! There are some "coydogs" around here, but interestingly enough I never hear of people wanting them as pets! They are the product of free-ranging farm dogs and the coyote population and pretty much roam around with the coyotes, I think....
Re: Tarka and Lochan meet a wolf Very interesting! Soon after I got Charlie, I needed to replace my fence in my back garden on one side (the other side is a very high wall). I researched, and "invested" in a 6ft high "no dig" fence with concrete sunk into the base. Charlie digs up the odd geranium time to time but that's about it....and just about makes it over the straw bales in a retrieving lane (and not very elegantly at that). I can't help thinking the fence was a bit of waste of money....although to be fair, it came sort of pre assembled so saved a lot on labour time to install so maybe worked out about the same anyway. I tell myself... The urban foxes, however, view it as a minor obstacle to clear in one very elegant jump...
Re: Tarka and Lochan meet a wolf There are dog-dingo hybrids out there too... Dingoes have a weird status here. They are native animals, but they are classed as wild dogs or pest animals and can be shot (except in National Parks). But there is a strong argument that they are an important top predator that keeps feral fox and cat populations under control. Pure bred Dingoes are actually fairly rare, due to interbreeding with domestic dogs, so that blurs the issue....
Re: Tarka and Lochan meet a wolf I would think Australia has so many imported animals that have become pests that there would be some sympathy to preserving this one!!
Re: Tarka and Lochan meet a wolf How do Dingos being the product of human intervention, square with the being native? Got me thinking hard about what is a native animal...and the history of dogs and humans...
